“New paper from our lab lead by Tiange on “Creep of CarbFix basalts: influence of rock-fluid interaction” got recently published in Solid Earth. Our laboratory experiments were investigating the effects of fluids of varying composition on the brittle creep behavior of basalts from the CarbFix site in Iceland. The ever-increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere necessitates strategies to extract the carbon from the atmosphere and safely store it over geologic timescales. Even if we stopped burning all fossil fuels today we, would surpass the desired 1.5-2˚C temperature increase by the end of century. Hence “net-negative” technologies are an important and complimentary to global decarbonization efforts. CarbFix in Iceland is a pilot project that is turning gaseous CO2 into solid rock (carbonate – i.e. limestone) since 2012 and therefore the effects of carbon mineralization on the mechanical and transport properties of the rocks need to be studied in detail.”
experimental rock deformation